Apache, My SQL, PHP, XAMPP, and OScommerce
This is the MIS-300 “Quiz 4″ Material
What is the purpose of each of the following:
Apache, My SQL, PHP, XAMPP, and OScommerce.
APACHE
The Software
Apache is the name of the software that allows you to run a web service on a UNIX server. Apache is very popular and provides access to most web sites on the internet. A recent Netcraft survey of Web Servers around the world placed Apache Powered sites at over 50 percent of the total. Part of the reason for this maybe that it is freely available, reliable and simple to set up and configure, and it can provide most of the requirements for a web site.
Apache complies with the newest level of the Hypertext Transport Protocol, HTTP 1.1. Free support is provided through a bug reporting system and several Usenet newsgroups. Several companies offer priced support.
MySQL
he MySQL® database has become the world’s most popular open source database because of its consistent fast performance, high reliability and ease of use. It’s used on every continent — Yes, even Antarctica! — by individual Web developers as well as many of the world’s largest and fastest-growing organizations to save time and money powering their high-volume Web sites, business-critical systems and packaged software — including industry leaders such as Yahoo!, Alcatel-Lucent, Google, Nokia, YouTube, and Zappos.com.
Not only is MySQL the world’s most popular open source database, it’s also become the database of choice for a new generation of applications built on the LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP / Perl / Python.) MySQL runs on more than 20 platforms including Linux, Windows, OS/X, HP-UX, AIX, Netware, giving you the kind of flexibility that puts you in control.
Whether you’re new to database technology or an experienced developer or DBA, MySQL offers a comprehensive range of certified software, support, training and consulting to make you successful.
MySQL Enterprise includes:
- MySQL Enterprise Server software, the most reliable, secure and up-to date version of the world’s most popular open source database
- MySQL Enterprise Monitor that continuously monitors your database and proactively advises you on how to implement MySQL best practices
- MySQL 24×7 Production Support with fast response times to assist you in the development, deployment and management of MySQL applications
PHP
PHP, which stands for “Hypertext Preprocessor”, is a server-side, HTML embedded scripting language used to create dynamic Web pages. Much of its syntax is borrowed from C, Java and Perl with some unique features thrown in. The goal of the language is to allow Web developers to write dynamically generated pages quickly.
In an HTML page, PHP code is enclosed within special PHP tags. When a visitor opens the page, the server processes the PHP code and then sends the output (not the PHP code itself) to the visitor’s browser. It means that, unlike JavaScript, you don’t have to worry that someone can steal your PHP script.
PHP offers excellent connectivity to many databases including MySQL, Informix, Oracle, Sybase, Solid, PostgreSQL, and Generic ODBC. The popular PHP-MySQL combination (both are open-source products) is available on almost every UNIX host. Being web-oriented, PHP also contains all the functions to do things on the Internet - connecting to remote servers, checking email via POP3 or IMAP, url encoding, setting cookies, redirecting, etc.
ANOTHER PHP
What is PHP?
From the PHP Web site (www.php.net):
“PHP is a server-side, cross-platform, HTML embedded scripting language.”
That’s a mouthful, but if we break the definition down into smaller pieces, it is easier to understand.
- server-side: This means that PHP scripts execute on the Web server, not within the browser on your local machine.
- cross-platform: Cross-platform means that PHP scripts can run on many different operating systems and Web servers. PHP is available for the two most popular Web server configurations (IIS running on Windows NT and Apache running on UNIX).
- HTML embedded scripting language: This means that PHP statements and commands are actually embedded in your HTML documents. When the Web server sees the PHP statements in the Web page, the server executes the statements and sends the resulting output along with the rest of the HTML. PHP commands are parsed by the server much like Active Server Pages or Cold Fusion tags.
XAMPP
Many people know from their own experience that it’s not easy to install an Apache web server and it gets harder if you want to add MySQL, PHP and Perl.
XAMPP is an easy to install Apache distribution containing MySQL, PHP and Perl. XAMPP is really very easy to install and to use - just download, extract and start.
OScommerce
osCommerce is the leading Open Source online shop e-commerce solution that is powered by a dedicated, strong, and ever growing community, and is released under the GNU General Public License.
About osCommerce
osCommerce is an online shop e-commerce solution that offers a wide range of out-of-the-box features that allows online stores to be setup fairly quickly with ease, and is available for free as an Open Source based solution released under the GNU General Public License.
osCommerce was started in March 2000 and has since matured to a solution that is currently powering 13,508 registered live shops around the world.
Today, osCommerce has been taken to the next level, moving towards an e-commerce framework solution that not only remains easy to setup and maintain, but also making it easier for store administrators to present their stores to their customers with their own unique requirements.
The success of osCommerce is secured by a great and active community where members help one another out and participate in development issues reflecting upon the current state of the project.
You are more than welcome to contribute to the success of osCommerce by helping out in the realization of the project, by participating in the forums, by donating to the team developers and sponsoring the project, or just by spreading the word!
We welcome you to the osCommerce community!
About osCommerce
What are some of the important considerations when deciding on shopping cart software?
- The ability to create positive shopping experiences for your customers
- Tools to allow you to sell effectively
- Administrative tools that give you the control to manage your store
- The ability to customize and extend the software to suit your business’s requirements.
osCommerce is a popular shopping cart that satisfies these considerations. There are limitations of course. osCommerce is not perfect for every business, but using osCommerce, it is now affordable for many businesses to develop and operate a successful shopping site.
Requirements
A web server that supports PHP and MySQL.
Is osCommerce right for your business?
- Key Considerations in Changing Your Shopping Cart Software
- Short article available in PDF format on key issues for businesses using or thinking of using osCommerce.
- osCommerce Review
- An overview of the cart software from the merchant and customer’s perspective, as well as advantages and disadvantages. Also available as a PDF download.
osCommerce Watch
Latest articles from Attitude’s osCommerce Blog, osCommerce Watch. How to improve your store and more.
Fetching RSS feed… please stand byosCommerce Links
Contributions
osCommerce contributions are designed to be slotted into an existing osCommerce installation and provide specific enhancements or capabilities.
